Swirlers of the type mentioned in the introduction are known in different configurations in the prior art. They serve to swirl the combustion air fed by a compressor and to mix it with the fuel which is fed via the fuel gas feed pipe and/or the fuel oil feed line. For this purpose, swirlers comprise an outer ring, which is arranged around the free end of the fuel gas feed pipe and, together with the latter, defines an annular flow duct for the compressed combustion air. Swirlers furthermore comprise swirler blades which extend between the gas feed pipe and the outer ring and which swirl the combustion air. The flow duct is connected via corresponding connection ducts to the fuel gas feed pipe on the one hand and the fuel oil feed line on the other hand, such that the respective fuel can be injected into the flow duct.
The replacement of a damaged swirler is very time-consuming and costly in practice. In one known method, the fuel gas feed pipe and the fuel oil feed line accommodated therein are separated directly at the distributor flange plate on the hot side. The same applies to the entire fuel supply on the cold side of the distributor flange plate. Then, the arrangement is reconstructed anew, with merely the distributor flange plate being reused. All of the other components are replaced by new parts.